Venezuela: Info Age Ends "Textbook Coups" Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit INTELLIGENCE ISSN 1245-2122 N. 402, 29 April 2002 VENEZUELA: INFO AGE ENDS "TEXTBOOK EXAMPLE" COUPS The CIA considers the 1950s coups in Guatemala and Iran as "textbook examples" that were indeed followed rather slavishly throughout the Cold War, or at least until failure in Vietnam. With the disappearance of the Soviet Union and of all semblance of an "international Communist conspiracy", often cited by pro- US Third World military dictators as the reason for doing away with civilian governments and killing many people, new -- or perhaps old -- justifications of "opposing tyranny", "guaranteeing stability" or "assuring sovereignty" have been used. But this age-old tactic has difficulty standing up against better-educated publics and, in particular, against people who know how to use new information and communication technologies, especially the Internet. Even a major effort by the Israeli army didn't keep real-time information from filtering out of the Jenin refugee camp in the Occupied Territories concerning the recent bloody invasion (see "Palestine" below). With the recent coup/counter-coup in Venezuela against democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez, we may have the first "textbook example" of a successful Information Age public mobilization operation. Indeed, information furnished independently from Venezuela and its conflictual real-time comparison with official US government and mainstream media reports, before and after the events, played a major role in discrediting the putschists and mobilizing public opposition in Venezuela, in Washington and elsewhere. "Intelligence" readers, of course, were warned of the impending coup (see "Venezuela - Rumbling in US 'Back Yard'", INT, n. 398 30). On 25 February, air force General, Roman Gomez Ruiz, became the fourth military officer in less than a month to demand the resignation of President Chavez. The first officer to publicly challenge Chavez to resign was air force Colonel Pedro Soto, whom Chavez asked to resign. Since Soto led a 7 February demonstration in uniform, two other officers, a national guard captain and a navy rear admiral, had publicly demanded Chavez's resignation. The demands from senior military officers were clear warnings since Pres. Chavez was overwhelmingly elected president in the last elections (INT, n. 399 31). On 7 February, Pascal Fletcher of Reuters published a report entitled "Venezuela officer urges 'tyrant' Chavez to resign", stating: "In a daring act of defiance, a Venezuelan air force colonel Thursday accused President Hugo Chavez of ruling like a tyrant and urged him to resign." On 11 April, the actual coup/counter-coup started. See our "best/worst" selections in "Comment" below. 0411, ERRI, Crisis escalates in Venezuela - Rioting and general strike grip country 0412, AP, Venezuela's power shift condemned, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Venezuela.html NY Transfer, Coup in Venezuela - An eyewitness account by Gregory Wilpert Cuba, Foreign Minister Perez Roque's Press Conference, Full Text: Right-wing attacks against the Cuban embassy in Caracas El Nacional, President Hugo Chavez resigned ERRI, President Hugo Chavez resigned under military pressure US taking low-key stance on Venezuelan instability, http://www.stratfor.com/country.php?ID=3D134&fPage=3D2 The events of the military coup in Venezuela reported by supporters of President Chavez, by Luis Martin, La Jornada Latin Press Review ERRI, Counter-Coup underway in Venezuela? 0413, AP, Screams of pain, agony, sorrow - The dying and the dead in Caracas hospitals, by Christopher Toothaker AP, Venezuela without working government, http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Venezuela.html AP, Venezuelan inauguration postponed Bloomberg, Situation in the streets is "out of control": Cops shot, Carmona caves on Congressional restoration, General demands restoration, Supporters of the interim government said Chavez is not returning, Palace seized, Police warning, Looting, disturbances. NY Transfer, Venezuela - Massive resistance by military, population to right-wing coup NY Transfer, Venezuela news you won't get in the mainstream, Democracy held hostage in Bolivar's Venezuela Grave events in Venezuela - Counterrevolutionary forces topple President Chavez, http://www.granma.cu REU, Ousted Venezuelan Chavez to leave country in hours, http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/world/international- venezuela.html RHC, Cuba expresses concern for Chavez RHC, Cuba says US instigated Venezuela coup, denounces illegitimate junta RHC, International condemnation of coup d'etat in Venezuela RHC, Venezuelan executive vice president refuses to resign SOA Watch, Venezuelan generals backing interim president are School of the Americas (SOA) Grads 0414, AFP, Carmona seeks protection in military fort AFP, Demonstrations, rioting oppose Venezuela's day-old interim government NY Transfer, CIA coup a one-day wonder? Chavez set to return in triumph Emperor's Clothes, Chavez comeback exposes US government and media lies (press analysis): Everybody is in such a hurry, Footnotes, by D. Baatar, Jared Israel, Nestor Gorojovsky and Nico Varkevisser, http://emperors-clothes.com/analysis/haste.htm ERRI, Hugo Chavez was freed by his military captors and returned to reclaim the Venezuelan presidency on Sunday Hugo Chavez a servant not knowing his place, by William Blum REU, Venezuela's Chavez looks set to return in triumph, Chavez's career seemed over, Troops loyal to Chavez RRE, Some items on the chamber of commerce coup in Venezuela, now apparently failed (URLS) Venezuela, Rumored US involvement could hurt Bush administration, http://www.stratfor.com/fib/topStory_view.php?ID=3D204058 57 /Summary Acting leader of Venezuela steps down - Term ends after one day as pro-Chavez protests grow, by Scott Wilson, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A44867- 2002Apr13?language=3Dprinter AP, Interim president resigns in Venezuela NY Transfer, Note two things, How newspapers dealt with these contradictory dispatches 0415, Narco News White Paper, Online journalism's finest hour exposed and reversed a coup, by Al Giordano: Countdown to a Coup, The Pre-Coup Show, The "Revolt" of the Spoiled Brats, Democracy Held Hostage, Day One, The CIA Bunker in Caracas, Chavez Never Resigned, Democracy Held Hostage, Day Two, The Counter-Coup, Collapse of a Coup; AP, Reuters, the New York Times, and CNN, the worst offenders in the English-language media among many others, have had to radically adjust their coverage of the events in Venezuela precisely because online journalists worked overtime in recent days to break the information blockade and get the true facts to the international public. REU, Chavez probes US plane on prison island in coup RRE, Several informative articles on the vindication of democracy in Venezuela (URLs) 0416, La Jornada, "This is a media insurrection", Telephone interview with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, conducted 12 April in midst of coup d'etat, by Stella Calloni: Reason for shutting down TV stations AP, Opponents resurfacing in Venezuela, by Ian James NY Transfer, Stratfor on the USA's failed Venezuela coup US Seen as weak patron of Latin democracy, by Karen DeYoung, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56800- 2002Apr15.html La Jornada, Washington had a hand in Venezuelan coup 0417, NY Transfer, "Small grants" to Venezuelan organizations by the US National Endowment for Democracy (which replaced covert CIA financing during the Reagan administration): The American Center for International Labor Solidarity - $60,084, Center for International Private Enterprise - $56,000, Fundacion Momento de la Gente - $41,747, International Republican Institute - $50,000, PRODEL-Venezuela - $50,000. Few Chavez supporters were financed by the NED. NY Transfer, Washington Post, Present and Past (comparative analysis of coup coverage) Financial Times, Chavez moves to reassert political control Village Voice, Coup? What coup?, by Cynthia Cotts Granma, New York Times confirms Reich-Carmona ties, Two coup plots, The CIA's and the State Department's Granma, The people and the army, Decisive in the counter- coup, by Maria Victoria Valdes-Rodda; Prospects and reflections GUA, US "gave the nod" to Venezuelan coup, by Julian Borger in Washington and Alex Bellos, South America correspondent RHC, TV roundtable examines failed right-wing coup in Venezuela, Washington ducks fallout over attempted right-wing coup in Venezuela RRE, More fallout from the failed coup in Venezuela (URLls) WP, Media's role in crisis becomes the big story in Venezuela, Networks defend coverage after Chavez says they backed ouster, by Scott Wilson PL, Cuban diplomats decorated in Caracas 0418, AP, Offensive against Chavez resumes, by Alexandra Olson AP, Venezuela government to probe media NY Transfer, No let-up in CIA's anti-Chavez offensive Irish Times, Film-maker describes the overthrow and return of Chavez, http://www.ireland.com Courrier International, What was the USA's role in the failed coup against Hugo Chavez? 0419, NotiSur, Venezuela coup special, Venezuela opposition fails to overthrow president Hugo Chavez, Carmona's democratic image is quickly tarnished, Chavez returns to Miraflores, Almost universal international condemnation of coup, Trying times ahead for Venezuela, Venezuela - Failed coup exposes US government double standard & Venezuelan media bias, Damage to US image, Role of the press questioned Bush urges Chavez to embrace democracy, http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=3Dstory&cid=3D578&578&e=3D15&u=3D /nm/20020418/ts_nm/venezuela_bush_dc_7 South of the border, Democracy works, http://www.nyobserver.com/pages/story.asp?ID=3D5746 US military attache implicated in Venezuela coup, http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2002/0418/breaking72. htm US papers hail Venezuelan coup as pro-democracy move, http://www.fair.org/press-releases/venezuela-editorials.html 0420, AP, Venezuela's fractured armed forces - Chavez loyalists blame plot on outside help AP/Yahoo, Venezuelan generals die in crash - Several choppers forced to land in bad weather, one helicopter crashes, killing three generals and other military 0421, NY Transfer, The scandal of the media & the Caracas coup - The AP story "Venezuela Government to Probe Media" 0422, RRE, Shifting Bush administration stories on Venezuela (and who paid the $100,000 bribes?), URLs The coup, by Duncan Campbell, http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4398693,00.html 0423, dgse.org, Venezuela - A plot?: Questions arise following the death of the air force chief of staff, General Luis Acevedo 0424, ATTAC Weekly newsletter, Concerns over possible AFL-CIO involvement in Venezuela coup led to February picket, by Katherine Hoyt (co-coordinator of the Nicaragua Network); Sand in the wheels, Coup support sought?, Oil at the roots. Venezuelan coup plotter "in Miami", by David Adams, http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,3-277341,00.html How the AP gutted its Venezuelan coup d'etat scoop, by Jared Israel, http://www.emperors-clothes.com NYT, US bankrolling is under scrutiny for ties to Chavez ouster, by Christopher Marquis Background: 0608 2001, WP, The new unilateralism, by Charles Krauthammer, http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp- dyn?pagename=3Darticle&node=3Dopinion/columns/krauthammercharles&co ntentId=3DA38839-2001Jun7¬Found=3Dtrue COMMENT -- By analyzing the above, one is left with the opinion that there's a tie between Reuters (REU) and Associated Press (AP) for reports that contradicted each other or reported things that no other press services could confirm. Reuters, in this case, seems to have the edge on AP in the category "worst" but some specialists prefer AP. For "best", there are two candidates: Emperor's Clothes and Narco News with a slight advantage to the former which produced several comparative analyses of press coverage of events, although the best single report is the latter's lengthy, well-developed and detailed analysis of the coup/counter-coup. As "textbook examples" of official US government and media "mistakes", we propose the US State Department Press Statement below and a quote from the "New York Times": 0413, NYT, "Venezuelan democracy is no longer threatened by a would-be dictator [because] the military intervened and handed power to a respected business leader." Oops! Within hours of the coup, Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman Washington DC, 12 April, read a report, "Venezuela: Change of Government" praising the military, which had just seized power, for acting with "restraint" and blamed Hugo Chavez for the coup d'etat because under his government: "essential elements of democracy [...] have been weakened in recent months." It also repeated the common media line, without introducing a shred of evidence, that: "Chavez supporters, on orders, fired on unarmed, peaceful protestors, resulting in more than 100 wounded or killed. [...] The results of these provocations are: Chavez resigned the presidency. Before resigning, he dismissed the Vice President and the Cabinet. A transition civilian government has promised early elections." Several of these points have proven to be false -- that is, lies -- and none have proven to be clearly true (see 0425, How the AP gutted its Venezuelan coup d'etat scoop, by Jared Israel, http://www.emperors-clothes.com). What remains to be clarified is the role played by the CIA and the Bush administration appointees, such a Otto Reich. ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytsa-05.04.02-03:20:34-22101